Philomisia and Compassion
by MystiiriousAbnormality
Summary: Having left home due to neglectful parents, Harry leaves behind a loving little sister in order to find the answer to his biggest question: Who is Harry James Potter? Smart/Powerful/Grey Harry (not godly). Wrong BWL story with the usual bashing. AU.
1. A Light in her Darkened Mind

**Hello all!**

 **For those of you who were waiting for an update for Grey Skies or Bound Together... Sorry! I promise this will be the last new story I begin until I've finished at least one of my other stories.**

 **Warnings: This story will contain some Dumble/Weasley bashing, I apologize if you aren't into that, but I am... Also, I've been reading a lot of the neglected Harry/WBWL stories, and I love them. So, with that said, this is a neglected Harry/WBWL story!**

 **As a note, Harry will have some interesting abilities. He will be a Smart/Powerful/Grey!Harry, but not godly.**

 **All Encompassing Story Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter!**

* * *

 **Philomisia and Compassion**

* * *

 **A Light In Her Darkened Mind**

.

.

.

Today was the day…

After waiting for three months since her eleventh birthday and receiving her letter, today was the day Andrea Potter would finally begin her Hogwart's education.

But, this wasn't the happy affair it should have been; at least, not for Andrea.

Sure, she had been excited when she first read her acceptance letter. However, her mood quickly faded back to her normal depressed disposition before the end of that night. For what was there to be excited about if she couldn't attend the school with _him_ around? Granted, she was still looking forward to learning all about magic, but there was none of the childish excitement felt towards the prospect that her peers would be feeling. For you see, she lost the person she cared about the most.

Her eldest brother, Harry Potter.

In her opinion, Harry was her only _real_ family. Sure, she had her godmother, Andromeda Tonks, and her godfather, Frank Longbottom. She also had a big sister figure in Nymphodora Tonks, who had been Harry's best friend. However, when it came to blood relatives, Harry was the only one she really thought of as family. She absolutely adored him. He was the person she looked up to the most, and the person she aspired to be like.

When she was younger and he had still been around, it wasn't all that easy for her to make friends, considering every time other kids her age would come visit, they would only be interested in talking to her other brother, Jack Potter. The Boy-Who-Lived. But, this had never really bothered her, because Harry had always been there for her.

To make her feel special.

To make her feel cared about.

Even when Tonks or one of his few other friends would come over to hang out with him, Harry had always brought her along so she wouldn't feel lonely. Yes, she loved Harry dearly. But, her parents and her other brother…

Andrea didn't have kind words to say about any of them.

Andrea and Jack didn't get along in the slightest, and she knew that this coming year was going to be even worse than normal. Jack was fourteen, beginning his fourth year at Hogwart's, and she was going to have to see him year-round until he graduated. She wouldn't be getting a reprieve from him while he went off to school and she stayed home any longer.

When they had been younger, she had originally gotten along okay with Jack, but that started to change when he started to become hostile towards Harry. Any time she would bring up Harry's name in conversation, Jack would get upset and say something to hurt her. Jack would constantly pick on her for spending time with their _pathetic_ older brother. It got even worse once he started Hogwarts and almost constantly boasted to her about how he was a wizard, and Harry wasn't. Before Harry had left, Jack would always make fun of Harry and throw hurtful words his way; and her parents would never do anything about it.

Her parents…

Her parents took care of her, much more than they had Harry, but that was about it. Even when she was very young, she had a feeling that other kid's parents were much more caring and warm to their children than what she had received in her earlier years. This, of course, was caused by their undying pride in their _Savior_ son. They would give pretty much all their attention to Jack, only the bare minimum to Andrea, and practically ignored Harry.

She didn't hate her parents for the fact that, before Harry left, they didn't care for her like they should have. Even though she had always craved more attention and love from them back then, she didn't _really_ hate them for fawning all over Jack. She hated them for how they had treated Harry. For however much they neglected her, they neglected Harry a thousand times worse. From Andrea's perspective, they barely even knew Harry existed. Hell, he had left home for almost two weeks at one point and they hadn't even noticed!

In her mind, ignoring Harry was one of the greatest sins anyone could ever commit. For Harry was the most amazing big brother any sister could hope for, to the extent that sometimes Andrea thought of him more as a parent than her own mother and father.

He was the one who cheered her up when she was sad. He was the one who would play with her when no one else would. He was the one who read her stories and tucked her in at night, instead of her parents who were pandering to Jack's every need. He was the one who would help her with whatever she couldn't do on her own, which at the time was pretty much everything. He was the one who would patch her up after she got hurt while playing or exploring.

Yet, he was no longer there with her.

Andrea didn't care in the slightest that Harry was a squib; she loved him with all her heart. But, sometimes she wished he wasn't. If he hadn't been a squib, maybe then her parents would have given him the time of day. Maybe they would have loved him like they should have. Maybe if they had shown him even a hint of affection, he wouldn't have run away.

But they didn't; and he did.

"Andrea?"

Shaking her head as she came from her thoughts, Andrea looked to her mother, who had just spoken. Lily Potter wore an expression of concern as she examined Andrea, seeming to be looking for something wrong.

"Yes, Mother?"

Taking in her surroundings, Andrea noticed they were now at the platform for the Hogwarts Express. Her father and brother had gone on ahead and were talking with Arthur Weasley, the twins, and Ron. Molly Weasley and her daughter, Ginny, were headed towards her and her mother. Andrea figured she must have been really spaced out to not even realize they had gone through the magical barrier at Platform 9 ¾.

"Are you alright, dear?" her mother said with a tone of worry.

Andrea forced a smile to make its way to her face, something she did quite often around her _family_. "I'm fine, Mother. Just nervous I guess," she said before turning to the Weasley Matriarch as the older woman came up to them. "Hello, Mrs. Weasley."

"Andrea, it's so good to see you. Are you excited for your first year?"

"Yes! I can't wait to be sorted and learn all about magic," Andrea said with a fake bright smile. Not that the two Weasleys standing in front of her or her mother would ever know. Then, she decided to say something she knew would sting both mothers. "I only wish Harry could be here to see me off," she said in a low tone, looking down to her feet with a sullen expression.

Molly seemed to flinch at her words, but didn't say anything. Lily, on the other hand, went stiff and looked down to her feet as well, a pained expression taking over her face. Andrea was glad Jack was out of earshot. Otherwise, he would have said something demeaning about her favorite brother, which would end in an argument that would leave the whole group in a sour mood.

"Yes. I think we all feel the same way, sweetie," Lily said in a soft tone. Andrea could see her mother's eyes glistening with unshed tears. The youngest Potter was pleased with the result of her words. She enjoyed causing her mother emotional pain by bringing up their missing family member. Maybe it was a bit cruel, but Andrea felt it was the least Lily Potter deserved for how she had treated her eldest son.

It looked like Molly was now going to say something as well, but was beat to the punch by Andrea's father.

"Something wrong, Lily?" James said as he wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulder, with Jack and the rest of the Weasley family close behind.

Lily shook her head, wiping at the corner of her eyes. She glanced at Andrea and gave a small, sad smile before turning to look at her husband. "Nothing, dear. I'm just sad to see our daughter growing up so fast."

Andrea knew her mother's words were true. After all, once Harry had run away, Lily had been practically smothering her with affection. However, she knew that the only reason Lily said that out loud was because Jack was nearby. If she had said she was thinking of her eldest son, Jack would have started badmouthing the missing young man. This would lead to arguing between the women and men of the Potter family, and Andrea knew her mother didn't want that to happen. Especially with their friend's family observing.

James chuckled at Lily's words. "I almost can't believe our little Andrea is already going off to Hogwarts. Two of our three kids going to Hogwarts at the same time, what a day!"

"Hah, not like Harry could even go to Hogwarts. The pathetic squib is probably dead in a ditch somewhere," Jack said with a smug grin plastered on his face.

As upset as Andrea was at her _brother's_ comment, she knew that she didn't need to do anything. Someone else in their group would do the honors for her.

Three…

Two…

One…

SMACK!

"Jack Charlus Potter! How dare you say something like that!" Lily said with a bloodcurdling glare aimed at her second born child. Andrea was actually very surprised that her mother had slapped Jack. Since Harry had left, Lily hadn't taken kindly to the demeaning words Jack would say about Harry, but, she had never once hit him. Although, Jack had never said something so terrible as to say Harry was dead before.

For years, Andrea thought her mother was just defending Harry to try and get on Andrea's good side. She figured it was because she didn't want to lose another child, not because she particularly cared for her oldest child. However, after seeing her mother hit Jack, and the absolutely furious expression she wore, Andrea thought she might need to reconsider some things about her mother.

Andrea looked on to see Jack bring his hand up to his reddening cheek with wide, fearful eyes. Everyone else was frozen in shock at seeing the loving and warm Lily Potter physically disciplining the Boy-Who-Lived. Sure, _everyone_ knew Lily Potter was terrifying when she was mad, but she had never hit someone before. It looked like Lily was about to go for a second verbal strike when James jumped in.

"Alright, alright. I'm sure Jack is just excited to get to Hogwarts. Why don't we send the kids off, dear? The train will be leaving in a few minutes," he said, trying his best to calm his firecracker of a wife.

"James! Did you not hear what he just said about Harry!" Lily said, turning her glare to the Lord of House Potter.

Andrea's surprise at her mother's actions was replaced with amusement as she watched her father shrink back and hold his hands up in surrender. "I did, dear. I did. But, it's not like we have time for this. The train is about to leave, and unless you want them to miss it, the kids need to get going," he said in a placating tone.

Andrea watched as her mother's glare flicked between the two Potter males. "Fine. But, don't you think for even a second that this is over, Jack Potter. I'll be having a talk with you at Hogwarts," Lily said in a huff, turning to Andrea.

Lily bent down to give her daughter a hug, which Andrea returned as she whispered in her mother's ear. "Thank you. For sticking up for him."

Andrea felt her mother flinch and heard a sniff. Apparently, the emotions of her daughter leaving for school for the first time, coupled with her memory of Harry and the little confrontation only seconds ago had gotten to her. But, Andrea guessed that wasn't the reason for her mother's flinch. It was likely because Andrea had never once returned a hug from her mother or father; at least, not since Harry ran away.

"It's a mother's duty to stand up for her children. I just wish I had realized it much sooner," Lily said in a soft tone, only loud enough for Andrea to hear.

Andrea nodded, but didn't say anything else. She removed herself from her mother's embrace and turned to her father.

"Goodbye, father," she said with very little emotion in her voice or on her face.

"Bye, Andrea," James said in a partly strained, partly sad tone.

She turned back to her mother and gave her a quick kiss on her cheek, having to rise on her tip toes to reach the taller woman's face. "Bye, Mum," she whispered.

Andrea watched in hidden amusement as Lily's eyes widened. As with the hug moments ago, Andrea hadn't kissed her mother or even called her 'Mum' since Harry had left.

"Bye, sweetie. Have fun and be safe," Lily said, her tears now freely falling down her cheeks as a large smile made its way to her face. Andrea had planned to give her mother a cold goodbye like she had done with her father. But, after seeing her smack Jack and make James cower, Andrea figured her mother deserved a bit of affection from her once in a while.

Not wanting to stick around to watch her brother and the Weasley children say their goodbyes, Andrea made her way onto the train along with her trunk and new owl, Emy. It took her a few minutes to find a vacant compartment, but when she did, she put her trunk away, sat down, and let out a long sigh. After a few moments, she reached for her owl's cage and opened the door, allowing Emy to stretch her wings a bit and perch herself on Andrea's lap like the little owl always did.

Just as she was about to pull out a book and start reading, she heard the door to the compartment slide open. Turning to the door, she saw a pretty blonde girl who looked to be her age staring at her with a nervous look in her eyes. Standing next to the young girl, there was an older girl who seemed to share similar features. At least, the taller girl's blonde hair and icy blue eyes were the same as the smaller girl's. Siblings, Andrea figured. The main difference was that the older girl was dazzlingly beautiful, and Andrea found herself absently wondering if the younger girl would grow to be just as beautiful.

"Go on, introduce yourself," the taller girl said in a soft, comforting tone.

"Um… Hi, my name is Astoria Greengrass. This is my big sister, Daphne," the little girl said, motioning to the now named older girl. "I wanted to sit with her, but she said I needed to meet people my own age so I can make friends. Could I… Could I sit with you?" she said, the girl's nervousness increasing the longer she talked.

Andrea smiled and stood up, following proper etiquette like she had been taught. These were the Greengrass girls, after all. Daughters of a Most Ancient and Noble house, just like her.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Andrea Potter, and of course you can sit with me," she said, trying to hide her excitement at the end as she shook both of their hands. After all, she didn't _really_ have any friends except for Tonks, so she had been looking forward to meeting someone to talk to on the train. Daphne, though, seemed to notice considering the warm smile she sent Andrea's way. Unlike the older Greengrass girl, Asotira's eyes only widened at meeting the sister of the famous Boy-Who-Lived.

"It's nice to meet you as well, Miss Potter," Daphne said, giving Astoria a gentle push into the compartment. "I'll see you at school, Astoria," she said as she gave her little sister a kiss on the top of her head.

"Bye, Daphne," Astoria said with a hint of sadness and reluctance in her tone before turning to Andrea. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Potter," she said, following her older sister's example on using formalities.

Andrea smiled again and motioned for the other girl to take a seat. "Please, just call me Andrea. I'm not really a fan of all those pleasantries, but my father says I have to," Andrea said with a pout towards the end.

This seemed to ease some of the Greengrass girl's nervousness considering she offered a strained smile. "Yeah, my dad is the same way. I'll call you Andrea if you call me Astoria, deal?"

Andrea beamed at this point. "Deal!"

After the train had taken off, both girls were secretly pleased that no one else had attempted to join them in the compartment. For about an hour, the two talked about random things and how they were excited to start their magical education. Astoria must have noticed, though, that Andrea didn't seem to be as excited as she should have been.

"What's wrong?" the blonde girl asked.

"Hmm?"

"You just don't seem as excited as you're letting on."

Should she tell her? Well, she so far very much liked spending time with Astoria, and she was hoping to become good friends with the girl. So, she figured she might as well get this over with now instead of in the future.

"Well…" Andrea began, but paused as she tried to arrange her thoughts.

"You know about my brother, I'm assuming," she said more than asked.

Astoria smiled. "Of course! Everyone knows who the Boy-Who-Lived is! I was actually going to ask if you could introduce me to-" the girl began, but must have noticed Andrea's mood seemed to be plummeting. "What's wrong, Andrea? Is it something I said?"

Andrea shook her head and gave the other girl a forced smile. "No, it's just-"

"Andrea, please," Astoria interrupted with a pleading voice, "I, um…"

Andrea watched as the girl looked down at her lap and began to twiddle with her thumbs, clearly nervous once again.

"I don't really have any friends. I'm shy and I get nervous super easy," she began, looking out the window with a sad look in her eyes. "I love my family, especially my mom and sister, but they can be intimidating sometimes, so most people my age don't even try to talk to me."

After a few moments of silence, Astoria looked back up to Andrea with an expression of fear and hope mixed together. "I really like talking to you and I… I was hoping we could be friends. But, I don't want to start a potential friendship with lies or half-truths. I get that enough from my dad," she said, looking down at her lap once again.

Andrea was surprised that someone had opened up to her in such a way after only just meeting each other. Having the same feeling of wanting a friend, Andrea desperately wanted to tell her what the girl wanted to know. But, it could potentially offend her.

"Please," Astoria said in a quiet tone while still looking at her lap.

Andrea took a deep breath and steeled her nerves. "You said you were hoping I could introduce you to my brother," she said. But, before she could continue, Astoria interrupted her.

"Why would that make you upset?" she asked with a quizzical look on her face.

Andrea now had a sad smile when she looked at the other girl. "I'm like you. I don't have any real friends, except for an older girl named Tonks. But, she's more like a big sister, so she doesn't really count. I've always wanted to have friends, but all of the kids my age only talk to me to try and get close to Jack," Andrea said, looking away. "I've become rather cynical, to be honest. It's hard for me to trust people who try to befriend me because of it."

"I would never do that!" Astoria almost yelled as she jumped from her seat. "I know how hard it is to make real friends. I would never use someone like that…"

"I'm sorry. It's just that it hurts, you know? To know that the only reason people even talk to me is because I'm Jack's sister. Most people don't even know how much of a twat he is," Andrea said with venom in her voice towards the end.

"You don't like your brother?" Astoria asked in astonishment. How could anyone not like the Boy-Who-Lived?

"No. Not at all. My dad either," Andrea said with a sneer on her face as she looked out the window.

"Why?" was all Astoria could think to ask.

"Because they were horrible to the person I care about the most. I hated my mother too, but after what happened, I see her in a much more positive light, I guess you could say. I still don't like her much, though."

"After what happened?"

After a few moments, Andrea turned from the window and sighed. "I bet you didn't know I have another brother."

Astoria's shocked expression was enough of an answer for the young Potter girl. "Yeah. Most people don't, and I absolutely hate that," Andrea said, clenching her fists. "Everyone should know how amazing he is, but Jack's shadow covered him completely…"

"Why doesn't anyone know about him?" the other girl asked with a bit of hesitation, not wanting to upset her potential friend once again, but wanting to know the answer.

"Well for starters, he's a squib. Harry turned seventeen in July," Andrea said with a pained expression. "He ran away from home when I was just about to turn five. He was only ten years old."

"Oh my god! That's horrible!"

Andrea nodded, but didn't say anything else.

"Can I… Can I ask why he ran away?"

"I don't really want to talk too much about it. But, I will say that he practically didn't exist in the eyes of my parents and Jack," Andrea said, pausing for a moment as she looked at her lap.

"When I was little, before he ran away, the only reason I felt any love at all was because he showered me with affection. Even though my parents neglected both of us, they neglected Harry far worse. But, he still showed me all the love in the world. He's the one who cooked for me, bought my clothes, read to me, tucked me in at night… He's the best big brother a girl could wish for, and he's gone," Andrea said, not being able to control her emotions any longer as tears began to cascade down her cheeks.

Just then, she was surprised by the warm embrace of her travel companion who had dashed across the compartment to comfort her – someone the blonde girl barely knew.

"I'm so sorry. I don't know what I would do if Daphne were to run away. I would be devastated."

"I was. But, he explained everything to me before he left. I wasn't really old enough to understand fully why he wanted to leave, but looking back, I don't blame him in the slightest. Plus, for the first few years he was gone, he wrote to me on a regular basis," Andrea said through tears as she hugged the girl back, basking in the comforting feeling. "Everyone thinks the Potters are the quintessential light family. The loving parents and the Boy-Who-Lived, plus me. But, no one knows just how much they neglected their other two children, especially Harry."

After many minutes of staying like that, they finally broke apart and began to talk about much lighter subjects until they eventually fell into a comfortable silence and began to read from their school books. After a while, Andrea began to think about her family once again.

While in the past her parents gave most of their attention to Jack, after Harry left, they started doting on her as if she were a princess; her mother to an almost extreme extent. Andrea had come to the conclusion that it was because they were afraid their only daughter would run away as well. Considering Andrea's existence was much more widely known in the wizarding world than Harry's, it would be a huge scandal if she ran away, after all.

After about a years, though, her father had started to drift back to giving Jack most of his attention, but still made a point to make Andrea feel like his daughter, if only barely. Lily, on the other hand, seemed to have gone the opposite direction. She still loved Jack, of course, but didn't dote on him like she used to. She gave both of her children the attention they deserved. However, Andrea noticed that Lily tended to be much warmer towards her than with Jack, but she wasn't sure why.

Maybe she felt distant towards her second born son considering it was the affection she gave him that caused her eldest to leave her? But, Andrea had her doubts. She knew very well that squibs were frowned upon by the rest of the wizarding world.

If Harry had been born to some other Ancient and Noble houses, he may very well have been placed in a muggle orphanage at birth. Andrea had thought about that before, and it terrified her. If her parents had done such a thing, she never would have met the most amazing person in the world.

Regardless, Andrea would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy the attention and affection her parents, especially her mother, gave her after Harry left. She had finally started to feel like an actual part of the family. But, she just wished it hadn't taken one of their children disappearing to get them to notice her. Even with the love she now received, though, she would never forgive her family for making Harry leave. But, especially after seeing firsthand how angry her mother had gotten at Jack on Harry's behalf, maybe Andrea could eventually feel real love for Lily Potter. Maybe…

With only about an hour to go until they reached Hogwarts, Andrea was startled from her musings by a high-pitched shriek coming from next to her.

"What's wrong?" she said, looking to the surprised look on Astoria's face.

The blonde girl simply pointed out the window. Looking to see what it was that had surprised her travel companion, Andrea almost jumped from her seat. There, right outside the window, was a snowy white owl gliding along. It seemed to gaze through the window at her with a look of irritation, as if it was waiting for her to do something. That's when she noticed the piece of rolled up parchment tied to the beautiful owl's leg.

She opened the window and the owl came rushing in, landing on the seat opposite her with its leg stuck out and an expectant gleam in its eyes.

Andrea hesitated for just a moment before taking the letter. She fished through her pockets and found her small bag of owl treats, placing a few on the seat next to the compartment's newest occupant who eagerly ate them up. Just as Andrea was about to open the letter, the owl trilled and swooped out of the window and out of sight.

"That was strange," Astoria said as she got up and closed the window, not really knowing what else there was to say in a situation like this.

"Indeed," was all Andrea said, looking to the letter again.

"Who's it from?"

"I have no idea. Shall we find out?" Andrea said with a smile, though on the inside, she was more nervous than she'd been in years.

Without waiting for her companion to reply, she opened the letter and began to read its contents. Her eyes instantly opened as wide as they could go and she let out a loud gasp.

"What's wrong, Andrea?" Astoria asked in concern, considering Andrea's reaction. But, the Potter girl hadn't even heard her as she read the letter, oblivious to everything else.

xxx

 _Dearest Andrea, my sweet little sister,_

 _First and foremost, let me congratulate you on being accepted into Hogwarts. I just know you're going to shine there like the bright little star you are. I'm so proud of you, Andi!_

 _On a more solemn note, I am truly sorry I haven't been in contact with you for going on three years now, or even seen you in almost four years. I hope you don't hate me for it; I just couldn't risk our parents catching you reading a letter from me. If I were still on the move as I had been, I would have sent you letters considering they wouldn't be able to trace it back to me; but, I'm not on the move any longer. I've found somewhere rather interesting to spend my time._

 _The only consolation for me is the knowledge that our mother has finally started caring for you like a true mother should, so I hope you haven't been too lonely without your big brother to talk to._

 _Anyway, as for the main reason why I'm writing to you now. I'll be seeing you in person about a month from now._

 _What you are about to read isn't common knowledge. Students aren't supposed to know this, so keep it to yourself, please. This year, Hogwarts will be hosting a magical tournament that hasn't been held in nearly two hundred and fifty years: The Tri-Wizard Tournament. However, this time around, the three headmasters from the schools that used to participate in this event have decided to add a fourth school to the fray. My school._

 _I'm so excited to see where my little sister will be learning magic, and even more excited (and a bit nervous) to see my little angel again. The only thing I'm worried about is seeing our mother again, considering she's one of the Hogwarts' staff._

 _That will certainly be interesting…_

 _In one month, you and I will finally be reunited._

 _I've never stopped loving you, Andi, and I've never stopped thinking about you._

 _Love always,_

 _Your super awesome older brother: Harry_

.

.

.

* * *

 ** _There's chapter one for you. I really hope you liked it._**

 ** _If you spot any spelling/grammar errors, let me know through a PM._**

 ** _Just to recap, Andrea is 11, just starting her first year. Jack is 14, starting his fourth year, and Harry is 17._**

 ** _I haven't yet decided on a pairing for this story. I'm leaning towards Daphne (who is also 17 in this story), because I love the pairing, but I'm very open to recommendations from my readers (especially since I already have two Haphne stories going on at the moment). Send me a PM if you want to see someone other than Daphne!_**

 ** _Thanks for reading!_**

 ** _-Mystiirious_**


	2. Breaking Tradition

**Hi all! Welcome to chapter two of _Philo_! I'm glad there seems to be some interest in this story so far.**

 **I understand that there may have been some confusion from the first chapter concerning Frank Longbottom and Sirius, along with a few other things. I didn't want to just shove information down your throat, so I'm trying to present it as naturally as I can, which takes time. Just know that I'll answer those concerns in this chapter or the next. Also, just so you're aware, at this point in time, the only people with non-canon age are Harry, Daphne, and Tracey Davis. Yes, I know using Tracey as Daphne's friend is cliche, but I like her (even if her character personality was created in the fandom).**

 **Also, and this one is pretty big, in this story there will be eight years of Hogwarts education instead of the canon seven. As a result, NEWTs are taken during eighth year.**

 **Now, on with the story!**

* * *

 **Philomisia and Compassion**

* * *

 **Breaking Tradition**

.

.

.

As Andrea finished reading the letter from Harry for the fourth time, she finally noticed that tears were flowing like a waterfall from her eyes. She clamped them shut and held the letter close to her chest as she started to sob.

She once again felt the embrace of her companion as Astoria silently waited for her.

"I'm sorry," Andrea said, looking into the blue eyes of the girl hugging her. Andrea chuckled and wiped at her cheeks, a bright smile on her face. "That letter brought out so many emotions."

"Is everything alright?" Astoria asked in a soft, comforting tone.

"Everything is perfect," the Potter girl said as they broke the hug. Andrea sighed and looked to Astoria once again. Sure, the two had just met, but Astoria seemed to be very caring of her already. She wanted to tell someone this amazing news, but she wasn't sure if she should or not.

After a few more moments of contemplation, she made her decision. "I want to tell you something, but you need to promise not to tell _anyone_. Not even your sister," Andrea said in a serious tone.

Astoria straightened up in her seat. "Okay, I can do that," she said with a small smile.

Andrea took a deep breath, a large smile once again making its way to her face. "That was from my brother, Harry. He'll be at Hogwarts in a month!" she said, almost squealing with anticipation and excitement.

"Harry? Wait, why would he be coming to Hogwarts? You said he's seventeen; isn't it way too late for him to start? Plus, you said he's a squib; how could he-"

"I can't tell you why, because he asked me not to tell anyone," Andrea interrupted her new friend. She paused for a moment, before deciding to tell the girl something else. "Before he left, everyone thought he was a squib. The healers at St. Mungos said he had no magical core to speak of, and that was confirmed by Albus Dumbledore. But, I guess that was proven wrong. Apparently, he's attending another school for magic; though I'm not sure where."

"Oh, wow. You must be really excited! I know I would be if I was seeing Daphne again after so long. But, how did no one know he wasn't a squib. It's not like you can just grow a magical core, right?"

"I'm more excited than I've ever been in my life! And no, I don't think you can, so I have no idea how it was missed. Especially by someone as renowned as Dumbledore," Andrea said as she gained a contemplative look. "Now that I think about it, Harry did have a rather unique ability. He was always able to see things other people couldn't, like an aura around people, or something. Dumbledore said it was likely an anomaly that went along with being born from two strong magicals, not because he himself was capable of magic. Now, though, I don't think that was the right assumption to make," she said with a pout at the end.

After a long moment of silence, Andrea once again spoke up with an almost sinister grin on her face. "I can't wait to see the look on my mom's face when she sees him."

"Wait. I thought you were starting to get along with her?" Astoria said with a confused expression.

"I am. But, even if we are getting along, and even if I do end up truly loving her as a mother, I'll never forgive her for what she did to Harry. Never."

.

..

.

As the new first year students made their way into the Great Hall, Andrea walked side by side with her new friend, both wearing indifferent masks as they lined up with the others. She saw her mother at the staff table giving her a slight wave with a proud smile on her face. Andrea returned the smile, but quickly reverted to her stoic expression as she looked to her father, who only offered her a small nod, and Sirius, who was smiling at her. What were they doing here?

They hadn't even been allowed to attend the Sorting Ceremony for Jack, considering they weren't Hogwarts' students or staff members. Then, she thought of what Harry had mentioned in his letter. Were they here as an Auror presence for the upcoming tournament?

Shaking her head, she turned her focus back to Professor McGonagall, who was walking up to a stool at the front of the Hall.

Placing a strange hat on the stool, the Professor stepped back as the hat seemed to come to life and began singing a, what Andrea thought to be, terrible song. After it was finished, the Hall erupted into a raucous applause as McGonagall once again stepped forward, this time with a long piece of parchment in her hands.

"As I call your names, you will come sit on the stool and I will place the Sorting Hat on your head. Once you have been placed in a house, you will then proceed to the designated table, is that understood?" the Professor said in a stern tone.

Every first year nodded their heads in understanding before the first name was called out.

Andrea wasn't showing it on the outside, as she was using every bit of her willpower to keep her emotions in check while in public, but she was actually quite nervous. She wasn't really paying much attention to the ceremony until a certain name was called out.

"Greengrass, Astoria."

Astoria, who was also trying her best to keep a cool facade, turned to Andrea just before she walked up to the stool and gave the Potter girl a small smile. Andrea returned it and watched as the blonde girl walked up with as much confidence as she could muster.

"Slytherin!" the Sorting Hat called out after a few moments, earning applause from the house of snakes, along with a few quick claps from its Head of House. As the ceremony continued, Andrea observed the Head of Slytherin. She knew he and her mother used to be friends and that Harry's godfather, Sirius Black, and her father used to bully him in their youth. From what she had overheard at the manor many times, James Potter still seemed to hate the man.

Maybe she should try to be on good terms with him? If only to irritate her father, of course.

Then she looked over to the Slytherin table and gave a small wave to Astoria, who had a wide smile on her face as she plopped down next to her older sister. Looking at the older Greengrass girl, Andrea noticed that she was no longer the warm person she had first met on the train. Now, she had been replaced with someone who looked cold and unapproachable. The older girl sitting next to her, though, seemed to be in a great mood. Andrea didn't know the girl's name, but she seemed to be close to Astoria's older sister, considering the girl would frequently get close and whisper to the eldest Greengrass girl.

Turning her attention elsewhere, she saw Jack and Ron laughing about something as the Sorting Ceremony continued. She sent a quick glare their way before she spotted another familiar face. Sitting a few places down from Ron was the Heir to House Longbottom. She had met Neville and his parents a number of times. Apparently, on the same night that Potter Manor was attacked by Voldemort, there was an attack on Longbottom Manor led by Bellatrix Lestrange, who was now rotting in Azkaban. From what little Andrea had gathered of that night, Bellatrix and her husband had put both Frank and Alice Longbottom under the Cruciatus curse for a prolonged period of time. If it hadn't been for the hard to detect alarm wards around the manor alerting the Aurors, Nevill's parents likely would have either died or been left an empty shell of themselves.

As she was thinking this, she noticed that every eye in the Hall was on her. That's when she realized she was currently at the front of the line of first years.

"You are Miss Potter, are you not?" Professor McGonagall said, peering into Andrea's eyes.

"Ah, yes. I am, Professor," she said, feeling her cheeks flush a bit in embarrassment. So much for hiding my emotions, she thought.

"Well then, come on up to be sorted. Don't be shy," the older woman said with the tiniest hint of amusement glinting in her eyes, though her permanent frown was still in place. Andrea nodded and began walking to the stool, listening to a few snickers from amongst the students. However, those disappeared rather quickly. Apparently, everyone in the hall, even the staff, were interested to find out which house Andrea Potter, younger sister of Jack Potter, would be joining. Most people, though, already assumed they knew the answer. After all, there hadn't been a Potter not in the house of the brave for centuries.

As she reached the stool, she looked up to her mother, who seemed to have an amused smile on her face. Her father just looked annoyed...

She took a deep breath, turned around and took a seat on the stool. She felt something being placed on her head, and the brim of the hat somewhat blocked her vision as it was far too large for her head.

 _Hmm. Another Potter, eh? Your brother was easy enough to place. He may be brave, but I doubt it's warranted as he seemed to be far too full of himself._

Andrea chuckled at the hat's words, earning her a few confused looks from some of the students.

 _Ah, I see you share that sentiment. Regardless, where to put you, I wonder. I wouldn't consider you cunning, but you do have quite a bit of ambition, so Slytherin would be an option. Plus, it seems you already have a friend there._

At this, Andrea turned to look at Astoria and gave the blonde girl a warm smile.

 _You are very intelligent if I do say so myself. And, you seem to have a deep desire to learn as much as you can. From your thoughts, I take it you acquired that trait from the limited time you spent with your other brother._

Andrea nodded, but said nothing out loud. It was true. Harry was always very studious, which seemed to rub off on Andrea over the years. When she was younger, she assumed he just liked to read. Now, looking back, it was probably a way for him to escape the pain caused by neglectful parents.

 _Yes. Ravenclaw would do you good. But, your family have always been Gryffindors. While you could certainly thrive there, as you seem to have the courage matched only by a few currently in that house, I think you would be best suited for the house of the loyal._

Andrea adopted a confused expression, but once again, said nothing. She didn't have anything bad to even think of any of the other houses, especially considering Jack always bad-mouthed anyone who wasn't in Gryffindor. But, she had never considered the last house for herself.

 _Your loyalty and devotion to your missing brother is stronger than I've seen in many years. Although, it seems he won't be missing for much longer. Ah, don't worry, I'm not allowed to reveal anything I've seen in a student's mind. Part of my enchantments, you see. But, for some reason I get the feeling I shouldn't place you in Hufflepuff… I wonder why?_

At this point, Andrea was beginning to get concerned, not only had her sorting taken far longer than anyone else's, the hat seemed to be talking to itself.

"Ravenclaw!" the Sorting Hat announced out of nowhere, frightening not only herself, but a number of the younger students as well.

The hall was dead silent. Professor McGonagall hadn't even moved to take the hat off due to her surprise. A Potter not being in Gryffindor, and in Ravenclaw of all places? To say it was a shock would be a massive understatement.

Andrea, not wanting to be under the stares of the entire Hall for any longer than she needed to, stood up and handed the hat to Professor McGonagall, who snapped from her stupor and retrieved it, the bemused expression never leaving her face. Before she walked to the table designated for Ravenclaw students, Andrea looked to the staff table to see her father giving her a disapproving glare. Her mother, though, smiled even brighter than before. This confused Andrea a bit, but also made her feel a bit more confident as she made her way to the Ravenclaw table.

On her way, she glanced at her brother and his friends, Ron and Hermione. She wasn't a fan of Ron, as he seemed more of a lap dog than a friend, and would pick on her right alongside Jack. Hermione, though, she wasn't sure about. Andrea had only met the brilliant young witch once, and it was only in passing one year as she and her parents dropped Jack off at the Hogwarts express.

She did notice, though, that Hermione seemed to be smiling at her. On the other hand, Jack and Ron were both glaring at her almost as if they viewed her as a traitor. This didn't bother Andrea in the slightest, though. In fact, she was rather happy with the outcome. Any slight against the Potter family was a win in her book, after all. She turned her gaze back to the still slightly surprised Ravenclaw students as she continued to where a group of fellow first years were sitting at the large table; all of them with half nervous and half excited expressions on their faces.

As the ceremony continued, she sat herself down next to another first year and took a deep breath. That was by far the most nerve-wracking thing she had ever done; not to mention embarrassing...

"Welcome to Ravenclaw, Miss Potter. I'm Padma Patil, one of the fourth year Prefects," an older student said a few seats down from her.

"Thank you, Miss Patil. I'm glad to be here," Andrea said with genuine happiness as she smiled at the pretty Indian girl.

"Oh, I see your quite well mannered, unlike a certain other Potter I know of," the older girl said as she sent a slight glare towards the Gryffindor table.

Andrea chuckled. "I think you'll find that my brother and I are rather different in personality."

"I can already see that, Miss Potter," Padma said with a grin. After their short introductions, the two girls moved their attention back to the remainder of the ceremony.

"Um. Hi, Miss Potter. I'm Orla Quirke," the girl sitting next to Andrea said in a very shy whisper.

Andrea turned to the girl and smiled. "It's nice to meet you."

But, before the two could continue, McGonagall spoke up, interrupting the two first year Ravenclaw's introductions.

"That completes this year's Sorting Ceremony," she said with a very slight smile. After her announcement, the entire Great Hall erupted into applause, with the exception of the Slytherin students, who were only giving a few obligatory claps here and there.

A loud boom was heard, and everyone fell silent. Andrea looked up to the staff table to see the Headmaster stand and make his way to where the sorting had taken place.

"Welcome students, new and old. I'm sure you are all eager for Hogwarts' famous opening feast. But first, I have an announcement to make. This year, there will be no official Quidditch season," the old wizard said. But before anyone could protest, he quickly continued, "Instead, this year Hogwarts will be hosting a very prestigious tournament that hasn't been held since the mid seventeen-hundreds."

Andrea perked up at that statement. This was what Harry had written to her about.

"The Tri-Wizard Tournament. The three schools who began this event so long ago are our very own school, Durmstrang Institute of Sweden, and Beauxbatons Academy of Magic from France. However, after discussing with the other headmasters, it has been decided that in celebration of the continuation of the tournament after so long, we would change it to the Quadra-Wizard Tournament. The fourth school will be the Elementar Academy of Transylvania," Dumbledore said, allowing a moment for the information to sink in as many students began to murmur amongst themselves.

During the silence, all Andrea could think about was which of the three other schools Harry was currently attending.

"In the past, the potential contenders for the tournament would enter their name into an enchanted artifact: The Goblet of Fire. The Goblet would then choose who was the most likely to win fame and glory for their school. However, with this iteration of the tournament, it has been decided that the Goblet will simply chose without the students entering their names. Of course, for safety reasons, only those in their sixth year and up will have a chance to compete," he said, earning many cheers from the older students and quite a few negative comments from the younger ones who wanted to prove themselves to the world.

"This tournament is a rather dangerous affair. Granted, we have made sure to minimize the risk as much as possible, but the challenges will still be demanding for any student. With that in mind, whoever is chosen has the right to deny their participation, which will cause another student to be chosen," Dumbledore said, taking a moment to cast a serious gaze upon all four tables.

"All three of these schools will be arriving one month from today. They will be eating with us, and attending classes with us so as to continue their own studies. I expect everyone to be kind and accepting to all of our guests. With that said, let us eat!" he said, waving his hands, causing yet another uproar from the students.

Andrea had heard about it from her mother, but she was still surprised when food suddenly appeared out of nowhere right in front of her. As she began to fill up her plate and eat, she got to know some of her housemates, especially her first-year peers. Yesterday, she wouldn't have been in such a good mood, and she certainly wouldn't have been this excited to start classes. But, with the knowledge that she would be able to see Harry very soon, she was the happiest she had been in years. She didn't know it yet, but tonight she would get the best nights rest she'd ever had.

.

..

.

The next morning as Andrea was getting ready to head down to the Great Hall for breakfast, she looked in the mirror. While she was making her hair more presentable, she took a moment to look herself over. This wasn't the first time she felt thankful she hadn't inherited many of her father's traits; and nor would it be the last. The fewer similarities she had with her father, the better. In fact, she looked very similar to how her mother looked at the young age of eleven.

Andrea's hair was the exact same shade as her mother's. Although she still held a grudge against her mother, Andrea would never say that Lily Potter wasn't an absolutely beautiful witch. The youngest Potter really liked the way her mother's hair looked, so she often wore it in the same fashion. As she finished combing her hair, she leaned in to get a better look at her face. Plucking a stray eyelash from her lid, she took a moment to appreciate her eyes. The same eyes as her mother and Harry. Well, close enough, anyway. Harry and Lily Potter had identical, mesmerizing emerald green eyes, while hers were a few shades darker. But, she loved them none the less.

Once she finished getting ready for the morning, she left the Ravenclaw dorms and began making her way to the Great Hall to fill up before classes began. As she neared the Hall, she heard a familiar voice calling out to her. Turning around, she saw her mother walking towards her with a wide grin on her face.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to talk to you last night. My _chat_ with Jack lasted much longer than I thought it would," Lily said as she gave Andrea a quick hug while no one else was around. It wouldn't be professional to show such affection to a student, regardless of the fact that they were mother and daughter. From what Andrea had been told, Lily found that out the hard way when Jack had first started at Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall was a very professional witch, after all. "That boy is far too stubborn," Lily muttered under her breath as they broke the hug.

"Don't worry about it, Mum. There was a lot of stuff to learn when we got to the Ravenclaw common room, so I was pretty busy anyway," Andrea said. However, she adopted a confused expression as her mother's smile seemed to grow at the mention of her house. "Aren't you mad that I'm not in Gryffindor?"

At this, Lily's expression changed to one of mild shock. "No! Of course not. I'm actually glad that you got into Ravenclaw. As much as I like Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick was my favorite teacher when I was attending Hogwarts. Plus, you'll be able to focus on your studies in Ravenclaw instead of dealing with a bunch of goofballs," Lily said with a bit of irritation towards the end. Andrea wondered for a moment if her mother had wanted to be sorted into Ravenclaw when she was younger, but her thoughts were interrupted as Lily continued.

"Your father wasn't all that happy though," she said with a half annoyed and half amused expression.

"Oh? What did he say?" Andrea said in curiosity.

Lily chuckled and shook her head. "Some nonsense about breaking Potter tradition and what not. I swear, that man acts like a child far too often."

Andrea chuckled at this. This was nice; talking to her mother. Granted, they talked quite often at home after Harry had left. But this was different somehow, and Andrea couldn't lie to herself. She liked talking to her mother like this. She was especially glad that Lily was supportive of her when it came to her sorting result. Then, she thought of something that might make her mother unhappy. Deciding to find out, she said, "Mum. Would you be upset if I said I have a Slytherin friend?"

Lily adopted a confused expression, but shook her head none the less. "Of course not. I myself had a few Slytherin friends while I was in school. Who is it?"

Surprised, and somewhat happy that her mother wasn't upset, Andrea felt a small smile make its way to her lips. "Her name is Astoria. Astoria Greengrass."

"Ah, the Greengrass family. Lady Greengrass was in my year, but we didn't talk much. She seemed nice enough, though," Lily said in thought.

After a few moments of silence, Andrea sighed. "I met Astoria on the train, and I really like her. But, I know about the stupid house rivalries and how it's frowned upon to associate with a Slytherin. I just hope Jack doesn't do anything to her if he finds out we're friends."

Lily put a hand on Andrea's shoulder and smiled. "It was hard for me. My Slytherin friends and I had to keep our friendship a secret. Not even your father knew I was friends with them; he would have blown his top," she chuckled. "Just be careful and you two should be fine. Also, if Jack does find out and does anything, let me know immediately," Lily said with a very slight cold tone towards the end.

"I will, Mum. I think I should get to breakfast, though. Classes are starting soon," Andrea said as she gave her mother another quick hug before smiling and making her way to breakfast. Maybe it would be easier than Andrea thought to become closer to her mother. Especially if Lily continued to show support for her and keep Jack in his place.

When she entered the Great Hall by herself, she looked around and noticed that there were far fewer students this morning compared to last night. There was only about a fourth of the student body currently enjoying breakfast. Noting that Jack and Ron weren't there, she assumed her brother wasn't a morning person at Hogwarts, much like how he was back at Potter Manor. Lazy git, she thought.

Walking to the Ravenclaw table, she sat so she was facing the House of the Snakes. She saw Astoria and her older sister, plus who she presumed was Daphne's friend, eating breakfast while chatting. Daphne seemed to be talking quite a bit, but the cold look she had yesterday was still in place. Since Astoria didn't seem bothered by it, Andrea assumed the elder Greengrass girl was like that whenever she wasn't in private. When Astoria looked up, the two first year girls made eye contact and smiled at each other. Andrea offered a small wave, being as inconspicuous as possible, while Astoria only offered a nod. Andrea wasn't offended, though, as she knew Astoria would run into problems with the other Slytherins if she was found to be associating with someone from a different house.

As more people started to file into the Great Hall to eat their morning meal, Andrea started to talk to some of her housemates. Mostly the other first years who were there, and a few second and third years. The older students told them what to expect for their first classes, especially potions. Apparently, James Potter wasn't the only one who didn't like Professor Snape. About twenty minutes later, when all of the students had finally arrived, the Heads of House handed out the timetables.

Within a few minutes, she could hear a number of her fellow first years groaning. Curious, she looked at her own timetable and couldn't help a grin from making its way to her face. The first class of the year for the Ravenclaw first years was Potions along with Slytherin.

This was perfect in her mind. Not only would she potentially get to talk to Astoria more often, but she might be able to get on Snape's good side and annoy her father. As she along with the rest of the Ravenclaw first years got up and left the Hall, Andrea couldn't help but look forward to her first day of classes at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

.

.

.

* * *

 **That's a wrap for chapter two!**

 **If you hadn't noticed by now, the beginning chapters of this story will be focusing on Andrea as she figures out her place in this new environment.**

 **Again, if you see any spelling/grammar errors, let me know through a PM so I can fix them.**

 **Thanks for reading, and see you next time!**

 **-Mystiirious**


	3. The First Day of Class

**Hi all!**

 **So sorry for the long delay! I won't make any excuses, just know that I'm sorry.**

 **I have most of the next chapter written, so expect another update before next week.**

 **On with the story!**

* * *

 **Philomisia and Compassion**

* * *

 **The First Day of Class**

.

.

.

As Andrea left the loo, she was wondering what her first ever Potions class would be like. With how much James and Jack hated Professor Snape, she imagined that the Slytherin Head of House wouldn't be all that fond of her at first. But, she would win his respect at the very least; of this, she was sure. She is her mother's daughter and Harry's sister, after all; i.e. she was very diligent when it came to her studies.

These thoughts led her to be thankful that her father seemed to be avoiding her around the school. Andrea knew that once they do end up interacting, it would be a royal pain in the arse. She could just picture her father standing over her with a disappointed glare directed at her, telling her just how ashamed he is that a Potter was in a house other than Gryffindor. He'd then go on about bringing shame to their ancestors...

Too bad for James Potter, as Andrea couldn't care any less about her father's opinion.

As she rounded the corner in the dungeons where her destination was, she opened the door to the Potions classroom and stepped inside. The first thing she noticed was that all eyes were on her. The second was that she was probably the last student to arrive, considering there was only one seat left.

She must have taken longer in the loo than she thought.

Professor Snape sneered at her before saying, "Ah, Miss Potter. How nice of you to finally join us."

She knew she still had a few minutes before class actually began, but decided not to say anything. If she wanted to get on Snape's good side, starting an argument with him during their first meeting wouldn't be a very good way to go about it.

"As the only seat left available is beside Miss Greengrass, sit there for today. I assume you'll be abysmal in this class, just like your father and brother. So, do try your best not to embarrass your partner for the day. The Greengrasses are known for their potioneering; I doubt you would want the eldest Greengrass daughter to know you hindered her sister on the first day of class," he said as he turned to the blackboard at the front of the classroom. Andrea was irritated, that was for sure. Once again, though, she decided against saying anything.

Walking to the only available seat in the classroom, she sat down and offered Astoria a subtle smile, who gave her own small smile in return. Andrea was glad she was the last student to arrive, as otherwise she probably wouldn't have been able to sit next to her first friend. She only wished that she and Astoria wouldn't be harassed by their respective housemates if they were seen being friendly with each other.

So, with that in mind, the best they could get away with for the foreseeable future would be polite, school-oriented conversation; in public, at least. Andrea absently thought about going to find a place where she and Astoria could meet up and have a real chat, away from prying eyes.

"I don't expect many of you to appreciate the subtle science and exact art that is potion making. However, for those... select few who possess the pre-disposition," he said, glancing towards his Slytherins, "I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper to death."

After a moment of silence, Snape turned to Andrea with a sneer. "Miss Potter. Tell me, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

"You would get the Draught of Living Death. A very powerful sleeping potion," Andrea said without hesitation, never taking her eyes off the sneering Potions Professor.

"Ah, I see you have some modicum of intelligence. For a Potter, at least. But, I assume your brother told you the answer in advance," Snape said. However, before he could continue, Andrea decided to speak up for herself.

"Professor. I doubt my brother even knows what wormwood is; or what to do with it, for that matter," she said, trying her best to keep her irritation from seeping into her voice. Andrea heard a few whispers around her and noticed Snape's eyes widen ever so slightly. "I, unlike my lazy brother and foolish father, have a thirst for knowledge. I take after my mother much more than my father. I would greatly appreciate it if you didn't compare me to them," she said, her brows knitting in annoyance.

At this, every student was staring at her in surprise, along with Professor Snape. "You aren't a fan of your family?" he said in a skeptical tone.

Andrea rolled her eyes and let out a loud scoff. "I'd say James Potter barely even counts as a father. My brother... he's the most arrogant, closed-minded, rude, and lazy person I've ever met," she said with a noticeable disgust in her tone. "I've been getting along well enough with my mother, though," she said as an afterthought. She noticed a flicker of understanding in Snape's eyes. He was one of the few people who know of Harry's existence, and what had happened at Potter Manor, after all.

"Well, well, well. Maybe you and I will get along just fine, Miss Potter," Snape said with another sneer, though this one seemed more amused than anything.

"I hope so, Professor. I don't think there would be much that could get under my father's skin more than that," Andrea said with a knowing grin.

After the conversation between Andrea and Professor Snape, the students didn't do much else besides listen to the Potions Professor explain what they would be doing in class and how it would work, much like any classes first day. Towards the end, he had them begin sorting through ingredients in preparation for the potion they would be making during their next class, which would be towards the end of the week.

She didn't really get a chance to say anything to Astoria, unfortunately, as Snape seemed to not tolerate people who didn't pay attention to him during instruction time, even his own Slytherins.

After class had ended, Andrea said a quick goodbye to Astoria, and was one of the first to leave the classroom. Normally, she wouldn't be in such a rush to get somewhere. But, she had felt all of the stares on her during class. When she had scanned the room, she noticed that most of the Slytherins were looking at her with calculating eyes, as if they were trying to figure out an interesting puzzle. Her fellow Ravenclaws, on the other hand, seemed to look at her with confusion and surprise. It looked like they were wondering how she could dislike her own brother, the Boy-Who-Lived. Everyone who wasn't a follower of You-Know-Who loved Jack Potter, after all.

She let out a dark chuckle at the thought as she continued on her way to her next class: Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall and her Gryffindors.

As she walked down a dimly lit corridor, she began to think of the old witch. She had only met Professor McGonagall a few times before Harry had left, but they had all been pleasant. She had only been back to Potter Manor once since she found out what had happened.

Apparently, the Transfiguration Professor and Andrea's mother had been quite fond of each other during Lily's time at Hogwarts. However, now the Deputy-Headmistress of Hogwarts didn't seem to even acknowledge Lily's existence, considering how the Lady of House Potter had treated her eldest son. Not many people knew about Harry, but, most of those who did weren't on the best terms with the adult Potters after finding out what had been going on at Potter Manor.

McGonagall had always been nice to Andrea, though. And to make it even better, the stern witch didn't seem to be all that fond of Jack Potter, even though the arrogant prat was a member of her own house. That gave Minerva McGonagall quite a few points in Andrea's book.

This time around, Andrea was the first student in the classroom. Having her choice of seats, she chose to sit in the very front row, considering Tranfiguration was one of the subjects she was most interested in. Placing her Transfiguration book, some parchment, and her quill on the table, she put the rest of her things away and proceeded to look around the classroom. It was a rather ordinary classroom. At least, ordinary for Hogwarts, she supposed. The only thing out of place was a cat making its way around the Professor's desk. As soon as she saw it, it must have seen her as well. The cat stopped mid stride and stared at Andrea, as if it were surprised by her presence.

"Good morning, Professor McGonagall," Andrea said with a wide smirk.

The youngest Potter watched as the mostly brown tabby cat began to shift and grow, until it settled on the form of one Minerva McGonagall.

"Good morning to you as well, Miss Potter. Did your brother tell you?" the older witch said with a bit of annoyance in her tone. Andrea chuckled, figuring that the Transfiguration Professor was looking forward to spooking her new students, who hadn't seen the transformation before.

"No. Jack and I don't get along all that well, so we hardly ever talk," Andrea said, noticing McGonagall's expression turn a bit sour. "My mother told me."

At Andrea's words, McGonagall's brow rose in interest. "Oh? Are you getting along better with young Lily? The last time I visited your manor, you seemed to be very open about your dislike of your whole family," the Professor said with genuine curiosity.

"A bit," Andrea said before glancing behind her to make sure no one else had entered the classroom yet. "Ever since Harry ran away, she's been acting like a real mother to me. We've been getting closer over the years, especially this year with me starting Hogwarts. I'll never forgive her, though; and she knows it. But, at least we have a better relationship than we had before," Andrea said with a far off look in her eyes. "At the station, she actually hit Jack for saying something bad about Harry. She was so angry..."

This seemed to be news to McGonagall, considering her usual stern demeanor turned slightly surprised. "Lily hit someone? And her son no less."

"Yeah, it was awesome!" Andrea chuckled before turning a bit more serious. "I think that really opened my eyes. I enjoyed the fact that she was giving me so much attention for the past few years, but I always thought it was hollow. I always thought she was just trying to butter up to me; but, I never thought she actually cared that Harry was gone. After seeing her at the station though... I realize that she really does miss him."

Professor McGonagall was silent for a moment before saying, "After Harry was born, Lily absolutely adored him and wouldn't stop fussing over everything he did. She didn't care one bit that he was a squib; she loved him with all her heart," she said with a fond smile at the memory. This was very surprising news to Andrea. Considering she wasn't alive when the whole Voldemort thing happened in Potter Manor, she didn't know what life was like before that. But, she just figured that her parents always had some sort of resentment for the fact that Harry was a squib. Or at least, had been thought to be a squib.

"But, after the incident with You-Know-Who, something changed. It was as if over night Harry went from being the light of her life to being no more than a background character," she finished in a sad tone.

"But why? I get that Jack's fame might have gone to her head a bit. But, to completely ignore her firstborn? Especially now that you told me how much she cared about him before, it just doesn't make any sense..." Andrea said, getting visibly upset.

"I don't know. I really don't. Lily was always the nicest, most caring person," McGonagall said in a soft tone.

After a few moments of silence between the two, McGonagall sighed and offered Andrea a small smile. "I'm glad you're getting along better with her, though. As angry and disgusted as I am in your mother for what she did to little Harry, I know just how devastated she was, and still is, about him running away. I think it's good that the two of you have been building a closer relationship. If it weren't for you, I don't know if Lily would have made it," McGonagall said with a sad glint in her eye toward the end.

Andrea nodded, but decided against saying anything further. However, she had to agree with the older witch. For the first month or so after Harry had run off, Lily was so depressed and inconsolable that even Andrea, who hated her at the time, was worried about her health. Lily Potter hadn't been eating anything at all and only drank the bare minimum to survive, which James had been required to force down her throat. The only reason she had survived that first month was because of the nutrition potions that had been mixed in with her water.

After the first month of watching her mother wither away, Andrea decided to take pity on her and try to comfort her as much as she could. After all, Harry had always taught her that you should help those in need whenever you could. Even though she truly hated her mother back then, she didn't want to see her like that; but more importantly, she didn't want to disappoint Harry. She knew that Harry hated the Potter's just as much as she did, if not more. But, at the same time, she know he wouldn't want anything bad to happen to them. He may have been a bit cold on the outside before he left, but Andrea knew that his heart would always be pure gold.

So, she had done everything she could to make Lily's life easier, and started the beginnings of a budding mother/daughter relationship that had never existed before.

Thinking on what she and McGonagall had just been talking about caused Andrea to frown. Why would her mother be so utterly devastated because her son had left when she had barely cared about him, or even acknowledged him, before then? This wasn't the first time she'd thought about this, and likely wouldn't be the last. But, she never really came up with a solid answer, as evidenced by her small outburst only moments ago.

The only thing that really made any sort of logical sense was that Lily had been so blinded by the fame of her other son, that she simply overlooked Harry. Then, when he was gone, the crushing realization that she had been so severely neglecting him had caused something to change in her, as if a switch had been flipped. But, after her conversation with McGonagall, that didn't make sense anymore. Why would Lily go from loving Harry, to neglecting him, then back to loving him again. It just didn't make any sense and it was so frustrating!

"I'm surprised, Miss Potter. Usually my students avoid the front row like the plague."

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she focused on Professor McGonagall once again.

"Well... Transfiguration was one of the subjects Harry was most passionate about, so his interest kind of rubbed off on me," Andrea said, her cheeks red with a bit of embarrassment at her confession.

McGonagall looked at her with a pained smile before saying, "I truly wish I could have had the opportunity to teach him. From what I remember of him, he loved learning even more than your mother; and that's saying something," she chuckled. "He would have made a wonderful wizard had he been able to put what he was studying to use," the Transfiguration Professor said with a soft voice, so unlike her usual strict tone.

"Yes," Andrea said. But, before she could say anything else, she heard a few other students enter the classroom. She shook any of the leftover depressing thoughts from her mind. It wouldn't do to be distracted with sadness if she wanted to be the best witch she could be, especially since Harry was going to be with her at the end of the month.

The class ended up flying by for her, much like Potions class had earlier in the morning. After all, she had been studying Jack's old Hogwarts school books for years now in anticipation of finally going herself. If she had to guess, she would say she could ace her third-year exams if she took them right now.

Even though she already knew pretty much all of the information Professor McGonagall was relaying to the class, Andrea still paid the older witch rapt attention. Her love of learning was so great that even the smallest chance that she could learn something new caused her to focus with everything she had.

Once class had been let out, she found herself headed towards the Great Hall for lunch, alongside one of her fellow first years, Orla Quirk. The other girl seemed to be extremely shy, but had a nice personality, as far as Andrea could tell. The youngest Potter liked talking with her, even if they hadn't had all that much interaction yet, considering it was only the first day of classes for the school year. But, even with their limited interactions, Andrea had a feeling that young Miss Quirk was trying to distance herself.

With Astoria being in Slytherin, Andrea wasn't looking forward to trying to find ways to interact with the young Greengrass girl. She knew it would be difficult with how tense the house rivalries were, but she was determined to keep her first friend. However, she also wanted to make other friends, and was hoping that she and Orla could become closer. It would be nice to have a close friend in her own house who she could talk to whenever she wanted or needed to.

"Orla?" Andrea said when they were about half way to their destination. As Orla jumped a bit, Andrea figured her shy classmate had been startled from hearing her name.

"Yes?" the girl said in a meek tone.

"I was wondering if you wanted to read ahead on some of our subjects in my room tonight," Andrea said with a bright smile. On the inside, though, she was a bit nervous at the answer she would receive, for two reasons. For one, she remembered how hard it was for her to make real friends. She wanted to have a bunch of friends, but at the same time, she was worried that people would only want to be friends with her because of Jack.

The second reason being that she was afraid of an outright rejection. Afraid that the girl would think Andrea unworthy of being a friend. Having no real friends growing up may have caused a bit of confidence issues for the youngest Potter when it came to socializing.

Orla glanced at Andrea with wide eyes for a moment before turning away and mumbling something under her breath.

"What was that?" Andrea said, not being able to hear her housemate.

"Um... I said that I don't think it would be the best idea," Orla said with a downtrodden expression.

"Oh. I'm sorry, I just thought that maybe we could be friends. No worries though," Andrea said, trying her best to hide the hurt she was feeling at being rejected.

Once again, Orla looked at her with wide eyes. "You want to be friends... with me?" she said in a soft, unbelieving tone.

At this, Andrea quirked a brow in confusion. Why was this girl so surprised that someone would want to be friends with her? "Yeah. I don't really have any friends at the moment, except for a girl I met on the train ride here. She's in Slytherin, though, so we can't really hang out without being harassed by the other students..." Andrea said.

This time, she didn't even bother to hide how sad she was that she couldn't spend time with her first friend. "I was hoping you could be my friend, too..."

Orla gaped at her for a moment before turning away. "Why would you want to be friends with someone like me?" she said in an even softer tone than before.

"Someone like you?" Andrea said, not having a clue as to what the girl walking beside her was talking about.

After a few moments of silence, Andrea sensed that Orla was not going to say anything. So, being the ever-curious person Andrea was, she said, "Orla? What do you mean?"

Orla's shoulders slumped as she let out a soft sigh. "You must not know who I am," she said before hastening her pace in an attempt to get away from Andrea.

The youngest Potter, though, wasn't about to let the shy girl get away. Increasing her own pace, Andrea caught up to Orla and grabbed her shoulder. "Orla..." she said in a gentle tone.

After another few moments, Andrea's Ravenclaw peer turned to her with an almost depressed expression. "I'm a muggle-born..."

It took a few seconds for the girl's words to register for Andrea. But, once they did, she couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "Orla! You do know that my mother is a muggle-born and is considered one of the most brilliant witches of the time, right?"

At this, Orla merely glanced towards the young Potter and said, "Of course. Every muggle-born knows about Lily Potter."

"Then I don't understand... Why would you being a muggle-born stop me from wanting to be friends with you?" Andrea said, her confusion growing by the second.

Orla looked to Andrea with a rather confused expression. "I thought you didn't like muggle-borns."

At this, Andrea almost tripped because of how shocked she was. "Why would you think that? Like I just said, my mom is a muggle-born. Regardless, why would it matter?"

Orla stopped walking and stared at Andrea with wide eyes for a moment before saying. "You don't hate muggle-borns?"

"No! Of course not! What on Earth would make you think that?" Andrea said in complete surprise.

"Oh... I'm sorry. It's just," Orla began, trying to arrange her thoughts. "I found out last night that your brother doesn't like muggle-borns. I guess everyone just assumed that you didn't like them either."

"What?" Andrea said, stopping on the spot. With wide eyes, she stared at Orla in utter shock.

Orla, who now looked a bit concerned, took a step back. "Last night I was talking to a couple other first years and some older students, and they said to stay away from your brother. When I asked why, they said he caused a lot of trouble for muggle-borns," she said, looking down at her feet.

Andrea didn't even say anything. Her brother, the son of one of the most brilliant witches alive - who happened to have muggle-parents - hated muggle-borns? If her mother found out about this, she would be absolutely devastated. To have one child run away on her because of how she treated him and to have another hate her because of who her parents were...

"I can't believe it," she said in a soft voice as her gaze turned to the ground.

"You didn't know?" Orla asked in shock.

Andrea shook her head and looked up at her housemate. "No. I've never seen him do or say anything that would hint at it. Sure, he's a prat, but I just can't believe he would hate muggle-borns considering who our mother is..."

"Well, I don't know for sure because I've never experienced it. But, the older students told us some pretty bad stories about your brother and his friend Ron," Orla said.

Then something came to Andrea's mind. "Wait. His other friend Hermione is a muggle-born."

"Yeah. I guess they keep it from her and no one has the guts to tell her how your brother really is. From what I understand, all the houses tend to stay out of each other's business. And I guess the other Gryffindors who know how he is don't tell Hermione because they don't want to cause problems in their own house. At least, that's what Padma said last night," Orla said, trying to explain to Andrea everything she knew about the situation.

Shaking her head, Andrea sighed and started walking towards the Great Hall. "Lets go get some lunch, Orla..." she mumbled.

As the two were walking, there were two things on Andrea's mind: First, for the first time since Harry left, she felt truly sorry for her mother. And second, her hatred of her git of a brother just grew exponentially.

.

.

.

* * *

 **That's a wrap for chapter three! I hope you liked it. And again, sorry for the long delay!**

 **As usual, if you spot any spelling/grammar errors, shoot me a PM so I can fix them. Also, I've noticed that FF Doc Manager tends to cut words here and there for some reason. It's a pain in the ass to re-read a chapter five times trying to see if anything is missing...**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **-Mystiirious**


End file.
